inspirational posters make me happy.

Grabbed this from a friends FB wall. 

And on this Monday my dears, I like it.  I like it a lot. 

a new lil' one and elephantiasis

Some of you have seen on facebook that we have a new addition to the family.  A little baby kitten was left on the farm with no mom in sight....until I came around.  

Andrew called me and said, "I have a present for you.  Guess what it is?  It's something you probably never thought I would give you"

New floors for the love trailer? 

You cleaned the hair out of the drain?

You fixed the front door so we don't have to pick it up with both hands on the handle and shift it into place? 

You built me a deck?

Cleaned out my car?

after my series of secret chores that I wish he would surprise me with he finally let the cat out of the bag.  (there's a knee slapper for you)

  A new baby kitten for me to nurse back to health!!!  dreams do come true.

This little girl/guy is melting my heart.  And Andrew's.  I almost cried when I first saw it because I just think it is so sad that it doesn't have a mom or brothers and sisters to play with.  It looked up at me with those little crusty kitty eyes and said, "are you my mom?" just like Babe the pig did to the sheep dog in the barn.  

(i love this movie and will admit that I own the soundtrack.)

So my days and nights have revolved around the lil' one lately.  We are bottle feeding it and wiping it down all day long.  I even have a little rice pack that Mamaw had made me that I heat up and put in its little bed so it can have something warm next to it. 

I'm hoping that was just some spit up milk. 


Olivia is not dealing well with this.  The pups LOVE the kitten but Olivia hissed when she saw it and has been hiding out in a corner of the house.  My dreams of her taking over mothering the baby have gone down the toilet.  She will always be my #1 baby cat though.


oh and about the elephantiasis.  Andrew got stung by some ground hornets last night and had to use his epi pen and go to the urgent care up the street.  He is okay now but it was quite a scare in bee land.  His entire arm and leg are so swollen and since he allowed me to take a picture of his hands I assume that means he doesn't care if I post it all over the internet. (aren't those unspoken laws?)

poor thing.  It is even worse this morning. 

Very adventurous around the Kingdom of Traiylor lately. 

TGIFFFFFFF

Swanna what?

Okay.  I've come down from my Swananoa high.  It was quite a buzz and I flatlined when I got home (as expected) when you leave this utopia world.

So what is this band camp that I have been yaking about?  It is one of the most beautiful places in the world held at Warren Wilson College.  Each day I took four classes (co-writing, songwriting your story, vocal masterclass, and how to get unstuck in songwriting). I had no pressure assignments but I was constantly working on ideas.  It is amazing how your brain just sorta opens up and lets so much creativy come out when you aren't worried about cooking, cleaning, wedding planning, and that thing called work.

Every night we would have some sort of concert to go to and then we would have song circles.  A beer and food tent was set up and then people stayed out all hours of the night just sitting around playing songs for each other.  It is magical.  

It is really something to have strangers from all over the country come together and create this community that supports and loves everyone.  I cried more times in front of people than I would like to admit...but your heart really just does pour out when people let you into beautiful moments in their lives through song.  

My goals for the week were to release and stretch......and I can tell you I did a lot of both.  I'm really proud of myself (can I say that?  its my blog...yes I can).  I let myself free this trip.  I stopped myself from "proving" myself as a musician.  I let my heart open to the experience.  And I grew and grew even more.

Typical class room setting.  This was from my cowriting class with Jon Vezner.  

 Flashback to dorm living.  No ac.  No comfy mattress.  Community showers.  I do not miss dorm living. 

 First day of class!  

I even found some horses and a barn on Warren Wilson Campus.  Felt just like home!

I could go on and on and on about this place but it really is something you have to experience for yourself!  One more year until Swannanoa 2012!

Where did you go? My lovely...

It is that stage of the Virginia summer where most days are just h-o-t and humid.  So I have been hiding out in my internet free love trailer most days.  I just don't do hot weather very well.  Or cold weather.  I'm a fair weather kinda gal.  

Life has been hectic.  Wedding planning is in FULL swing.  I am trying, desperately, to enjoy it.  But there have been moments where I just want to say...."can we go to the courthouse?".  But I don't dare let those words come out of my mouth because Andrew would take me up on that in a heartbeat.  It will all be worth it.  And it will all fall into place as it should.  I've had some practice planning big events so this isn't my first rodeo--but nevertheless it is my rodeo this time.

What else is going on in my life?  Andrew woke me up this morning on top of a horse.  Let's back that up.  Andrew was riding this morning while I was still snoozing away and he came down to wake me up.  I had my prince on top of a horse waving through the window.  For real?  Did that happen?  Why yes it did.  *sigh*

We are about to venture off to our separate vacations this year.  It's where we both re-energize and get our juices flowing again.  Andrew will spend a week hiking on the Appalachian trail and I will spend a week down in Asheville NC at the Swannanoa Gathering---aka heaven for any musician.  We will come back shiny and new with all sorts of good energy to give to each other.  It was the best thing for us last year and I think with all this wedding mumbo jumbo it is highly needed this year!  I have heard from lots of married folks that having time for yourself as individuals is one key to a successful marriage.  AGREED!

  So I might not be back here for a bit.  But please don't leave me.  I have attachment issues.

Happy Summer! :) 

devil horns

I guess I fell a little short on producing a fourth of July post.  Or following back up on painting my kitchen & living room.  And I definitly fell short of my Ultimate Life Challenge  (Jillian got one week of my life.....I'm not giving up, just taking a break).  

So I'll post this picture of myself. (I look very serious in it though....I was trying not to cheeseball smile)    

I looked in the rear view mirror this morning on my way to work.  Little whispies of hair caught my attention and I smiled.  I remember being a little girl and always having a million fly aways or "Devil Horns" as my family so nicely put it.  If you could see the other side of my head you would see an identical devil horn poking out the other side.  As a kid I didn't pay any attention to it.  It was just me.  Just my hair.  Just crooked teeth, big freckles, and devil horns.  

Then came adolescence and the devil horns became a life or death situation.  I was a cheerleader so I had to wear my hair in a pony tail a lot.  I would dry and blow them out (this was before God gave the gift of the straightening iron to the masses) and then spray hair spray on the little boogers.  If there was a drop of moisture in the air you better believe that the devil horns popped right back up.  

Life was tramatic and there were days that my hair RUINED my life.  Oh the drama.  

So this morning when I saw my little horns going out of control I had to laugh.  I still feel the same as that little girl and to a degree that dramatic teenager.  I part of me wanted to take my hair down and freak out about my devil horns but another part of me said, ah, let 'em be.  They are me.  Always will be.  It feels good to get to the age where you go back in time and just accept what you have.  Even if what I have and will always have are devil horns. 

    hope you have a happy weekend.  :) 

waltzing with you...

I have a post in the works about the weekend but I can't stop listening to this song and weeping at my desk.  Wouldn't it be perfect for a first dance? 

I found this singer while doing my usual stalking of the Dutch and Dutchess.  She performed for them in Canada. 

*more to come!  

OH, I'm giving twitter another whirl.  Follow me and count how many times I mention my cat!  @Val_McQueen

my country tis of thee

Have a safe & happy 4th!  I love this time of year!